Archive for the ‘destroyers’ Category

Evacuation of Crete continues

Monday, May 30th, 2011
An overview of British naval operations during the battle for Crete.
Many casualties were received amoungst these men but we did not receive any damage, and soon became known throughout the East Mediterranean as a 'lucky ship'. On this trip especially the medical and supply branches of the ship worked night and day to look after this huge number of men.

Posted in 1941, destroyers, May 1941 | No Comments »

The evacuation from Crete

Sunday, May 29th, 2011
The destroyer HMS Imperial - her steering was damaged by a near miss during the evcauation from Crete and she had to sunk by torpedo after her crew had been taken off.
We were not really in favourable condition to evacuate some twenty-two thousand soldiers, most of them from an open beach, in the face of the Luftwaffe. But there was no alternative. The Army could not be left to its fate. The Navy must carry on.

Posted in 1941, destroyers, May 1941 | No Comments »

German ‘E Boat’ sunk off Southwold

Saturday, November 20th, 2010
A German 'Schnellboot' or fast boat is loaded with torpedoes - they were called 'E' boats by the British.
Prisoners stated that their vessel was hit on the port side seven or eight times. "S 38" attempted to escape, tried to lay a smoke screen but, owing to the damaged steering-gear, could only go round in a curve. One engine was put out of action and a fire started in the fuel tank. Some men jumped overboard immediately the fire broke out. A seaman ran aft with the intention of dropping depth charges in the course of the pursuing destroyer, but a burst of machine-gun fire from the British discouraged this attempt.

Posted in 1940, destroyers, November 1940 | No Comments »

Condor aircraft join the Battle of the Atlantic

Thursday, August 5th, 2010
The Focke Wulf 200 became operational in August 1940 and immediately posed a new threat to shipping in the Atlantic.
The FW 200 Condor began patrols from Bordeaux-Merignac airfield in western France in August 1940. Flying in wide sweeps out over the Bay of Biscay and into the Atlantic west of Ireland it would continue round the north of Britain and land in Norway, a route that encompassed most of the possible convoy routes. It proved highly effective not only because of its bomb load, but also in its capacity as a reconnaissance aircraft capable of calling in U-Boat attacks.

Posted in 1940, August 1940, bombers, destroyers | No Comments »

Convoy attacked off Dover

Sunday, July 25th, 2010
HMS Boreas, bombed and seriously damaged on the 25th July 1940. Image by former crew member Edward Walace
About 1630 on the 25th July, British aircraft on patrol sighted nine or ten enemy E-boats near Cape Gris Nez which were proceeding to attack the westbound Coastal Convoy, then approaching Dungeness and already being repeatedly attacked by enemy aircraft.

Posted in 1940, destroyers, July 1940 | No Comments »